Hit a Weight Loss Plateau? Break through with these tips!

Sometimes a change in diet – higher fiber, lower sodium for example, can help the body shed water and waste, helping the number on the scale decrease. If you’re stocking up on salty snacks, you may want to make the swap to fiber-filled, hydrating veggies. (Lose It! Premium can help you track nutrients like sodium, and Insights can help you identify food trends).

2. How are you moving?

Are you repeating the same exercises over and over? Trainers advise a switch of exercise routine every few weeks if you find you’re hitting a plateau in weight or fitness level. The body is incredibly adaptive, and it only takes a few weeks for it to become accustomed to a routine. It doesn’t have to be out of your comfort zone. Always run? Try adding in high intensity. Building in strength training, ideally with professional guidance, can build up strong, dense muscle that can give your base metabolism a boost and burn calories throughout the day.

3. Are you getting enough sleep?

Unless you’re a superhuman and rely on small amounts of sleep, try listening to your body when it needs rest. Being overtired can lead to mindless eating, unnecessary stress, and can really screw with your metabolism and hormones. Aim to up your shuteye for the next two weeks by setting a regular bedtime, or increasing sleep time by a few minutes. Once your body’s no longer out of whack, your extra weight might disappear into the night.

4. Are you tracking honestly?

Underestimating calories and overestimating exercise is a tricky mind game! Plateaus can come from inaccuracies in reporting, e.g. skipping logging drinks, underestimating servings, and forgetting to put in the handful of snacks. We know you’re dedicated, but it’s human error (and sometimes human denial). The fix: log it all, and don’t be hard on yourself. Honesty and awareness are your friends in your weight loss journey.

5. Do you feel supported and motivated?

Weight loss doesn’t have to be lonely, and here at Lose It! we have some awesome ways to motivate you. Check out Lose It! groups and challenges. Every question asked in the larger groups is usually answered with an overwhelmingly supportive response from people – with a userbase of millions, there are certainly other members who have been almost exactly where you are now, eager to give you the secrets that worked for them. Visit LoseIt.com or the Social tab of your app to find them. Challenges are great because they provide insight on how many veggies you’re actually eating (many people think they get enough but don’t). Plus, exercise challenges allow you to see what others do by checking their point values, as well as help you motivate yourself to get out there moving.

Remember why you started, assess your efforts honestly, and break through to the new you.